Bruce and Denise Morcombe advocate for raising social media age access

Two of Australia’s leading child safety advocates have put their support behind raising the social media age to 16, 20 years after their son was abducted in a case which shocked the nation.

Denise and Bruce Morcombe in Canberra with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture - contributed.

Bruce and Denise Morcombe were in Canberra this week to launch the 20th year of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and remind parents how dangerous the internet can be for children – saying the age of access needs to be raised to protect Aussie children.

The foundation was launched when a 13-year-old Daniel was abducted while out shopping for Christmas presents on the Sunshine Coast.

Since then his parents have channelled their heartbreak and devastation into keeping Australian children safe from stranger danger through education.

Mr and Mrs Morcombe said it was an honour to be at Parliament House to launch the 20th year of the foundation, one of Australia’s largest child safety organisations.

“We are proud to be Daniel’s parents and quite moved that 20 years after his abduction those tragic events are not forgotten and his important legacy continues to grow,” Mr Morcombe said.

The couple also met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, as well as officials from the Australian Federal Police and National Missing Persons Co-ordination Centre.

Leading child advocates Bruce and Denise Morcombe. Picture - supplied.

Mrs Morcombe said she was incredibly grateful and excited for the $2 million in government funding which was announced to continue the foundation’s vital work.

“It’s a great feeling and has taken many years to get,” she said.

“It’s been a really heartwarming and lovely visit to Canberra.”

Over the past 20 years the Morcombes have seen how an ever changing media landscape has led to children being targeted, groomed, and even abducted via social media and online spaces.

Mrs Morcombe said they were advocating for the Australian Government to raise the age children can access social media from 13 to 16 – as stranger danger was just as prevalent online as in public.

Daniel Morcombe was 13 when he was abducted.

“We think it’s a really good idea. The sites and places children are accessing on the internet can be terrible and dangerous,” she said.

“Social media is contributing to bullying at school and now kids are talking to people they don’t know online.

“A lot of young children are being blackmailed to send money by strangers they meet online with sexting … that’s a big problem especially for teenage boys.”

Denise and Bruce Morcombe during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Morcombes have incorporated online safety into their school visits, saying online grooming is on the rise.

“For more than 10 years we’ve been telling school students not to talk with people online if you don’t know them,” Mrs Morcombe said.

“We always tell them don’t meet up with them, you don’t know them, or what could happen.

“We’re also very strong on sharing a family password, parents and schools teaching internet safety, parents keeping up to date and checking on their students social media apps, and making sure children have a safety team (a trusted group of adults they can confide in).”

Mr and Mrs Morcombe, who have already visited more than 1000 schools in the past two decades, are currently on a 20-day, 7200km road trip where they are talking with more than 1600 students and teaching them about stranger danger and online safety.

Bruce and Denise Morcombe are on a massive road trip to educate children. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support over the past 20 years,” Mrs Morcombe said.

“The Foundation’s free child safety resources and Daniel’s legacy continue because of the generosity Australians have shown us.

“Everything we do is to respectfully honour Daniel and to help keep children safe from harm and abuse.

“The fire still burns within each of us. We are often outside our comfort zone. But we do what we can for the ones whose voices were not heard when they spoke out. It is the many adult survivors of child sexual abuse who inspire us to do more,” Mr Morcombe said.

Originally published as Bruce and Denise Morcombe advocate for raising social media age access